Award-winning digital marketing agency K&J Growth Hackers is ranked 28th on Inc.’s list of the top 250 fastest-growing private companies in California.
The Inc. 5000 Regionals list includes the most prominent up-and-coming regional companies, and indicates which companies are experiencing the most growth each year.
K&J Growth Hackers, which focuses on e-commerce performance marketing, and rapid-growth for tech startups, experienced 663% growth in just two years. The median growth of all companies included on the list is 137%.
In a time where so many companies face uncertainty, K&J and its team decided to double down on team culture and core principles. The team centers their client work and team performance around an agreed-upon set of values, including candor, results, accountability, and mindfulness.
The New Zealand and California-bred boutique growth firm achieved this growth through a granular focus on marketing innovation, trailblazing several new strategies for TikTok / ByteDance, Monster Energy, Microsoft, and Universal Music Group.
During 2020, nearly all companies offering in-person products and services had to cut back, making the business landscape incredibly difficult. K&J and, in turn, its clients placed a heavy emphasis on leveraging more data, technology and automation.
“At the onset of the lockdowns, my partner Kale and I looked at each other in disbelief and decided we had no other choice but to double down. We worked 90-hour weeks for months to make the most of being home, to keep our team inspired and focused, and, most importantly, to multiply our clients’ performance during these unpredictable times,” says K&J Growth’s Managing Director and co-founder Jonathan Maxim. “Since, we’ve discovered several novel techniques as a result of the at-home culture. The lockdowns were emotionally taxing but, ultimately, taught us several valuable lessons.”
Kale Panoho, co-founder and Managing Director, adds, “We canceled all our company mindfulness retreats, but not our mindfulness culture. A few things we attribute our success to during this unexpected time include implementing a paid learnings program for all employees, opening communication channels from interns up to executives, and rewarding each team member for any win, no matter how big or small through a new internal rewards program.”
Looking toward 2021, the firm plans to stay boutique and personal with clients by limiting the total number of clients, deepening relationships with current partners, keeping a specialized service and skillset, and only hiring the highest-level talent that embody and enhance company values.
